D-Link AirPlus XTREME G DWL-AG132 User manual

Manual

Building Networks for People

802.11g (2.4GHz)

Wireless G USB 2.0 Adapter

DWL-G132

D-Link

AirPlus X

TREME

G

TM

2

Contents

Package Contents ................................................................................3

Introduction............................................................................................4

Features and Benefits ...........................................................................6

Wireless Basics....................................................................................7

Installation Considerations ....................................................................7

Getting Started......................................................................................9

Using the Configuration Utility..............................................................12

Networking Basics ..............................................................................26

Troubleshooting...................................................................................39

Technical Specifications ......................................................................42

Contacting Technical Support ..............................................................44

Warranty and Registration ...................................................................45

3

D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G

TM

DWL-G132

2.4 GHz Wireless G USB 2.0 Adapter

At least 64MB of memory and a 500MHz processor

Properly installed and working USB Controller

Windows XP/2000



A computer or laptop with an available USB 2.0 port



Manual on CD-ROM

Quick Installation Guide

Cradle

Contents of Package:

Package Contents

If any of the above items are missing, please contact your reseller.

System Requirements:



4

Introduction

The D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G DWL-G132 Wireless G USB Adapter is an

802.11b/802.11g high-performance,convenient Plug & Play USB 2.0 solution that

brings wireless networking to your laptop or desktop PC.

With a maximum wireless signal rate of up to 54Mbps (108Mbps* in Turbo

mode) you can connect to a wireless network at home, at the office or at any

wireless hotspot. Now you can stay connected wherever you are and wherever

you go.

The DWL-G132 is Wi-Fi compliant, meaning that it can connect and interoperate

with other 802.11b or 802.11g Wi-Fi-compliant wireless routers, access points

and adapters. The DWL-G132 connects to any available USB port on a laptop

or desktop Windows -based computer and also includes a USB cradle. With

the optional USB cradle, the DWL-G132 can be positioned virtually anywhere

at a workstation to achieve the best available wireless signal reception - whether

that workstation is in your office, on your deck or patio, by the pool, at the local

coffee shop, or in an airport terminal while waiting to board your next flight.

The adapter works with Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating

systems to ensure that you’ll be up and running on a wireless network in just a

matter of seconds.

Using its default settings, the DWL-G132 automatically connects to other

D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G

TM

wireless products as soon as it’s active.

TM

*Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE Standard 802.11g specifications. Actual data

throughput will vary. Network conditions and evironmental factors lower actual data throughput rate.

The DWL-G132 has the newest, strongest and most advanced security features

available today. When used with other 802.11 WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)

and 802.1x compatible products in a network with a RADIUS server, the security

features include:

WPA: Wi-Fi Protected Access which authorizes and identifies users based

on a secret key that changes automatically at regular intervals. WPA

uses TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) to change the temporal

key every 10,000 packets (a packet is a kind of message transmitted

over a network.) This ensures much greater security than the standard

WEP security. (By contrast, the previous WEP encryption

implementations required the keys to be changed manually.)

5

For home users that will not incorporate a RADIUS server in their network, the

security for the DWL-G132, used in conjunction with other WPA-compatible

802.11 products, will still be much stronger than ever before. Utilizing the

Pre-Shared Key mode of WPA, the DWL-G132 will obtain a new security key

every time it connects to the 802.11 network. You only need to input your

encryption information once in the configuration menu. No longer will you have

to manually input a new WEP key frequently to ensure security. With the

DWL-G132, you will automatically receive a new key every time you connect,

vastly increasing the safety of your communication.

Introduction (continued)

802.1x: Authentication which is a first line of defense against intrusion. In the

authentication process, the Authentication Server verifies the identity of

the client attempting to connect to the network. Unfamiliar clients would

be denied access.

6

Features and Benefits

**

3

Environmental factors may adversely affect range.

User-friendly configuration and diagnostic utilities.

Supports Infrastructure networks via an access point and

Peer-to-Peer communication in Ad-Hoc mode.

Connects at up to 328 feet indoors

3

.



1 year warranty.



2

Using a USB 1.1 port will adversely affect throughput.

1

Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE Standard 802.11g specifications. Actual data

throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors lower actual data throughput rate.

Compact size for placement anywhere.



Convenience of Plug & Play installation.



Fully 802.11b/802.11g compatible.



Powered by the USB port; no external power source is required.



USB 2.0 standard

2

.



Better Security with 802.1x and WPA - In addition to 64-,128-bit WEP

encryption, you can also securely connect to a wireless network using

802.1x for wireless authentication, as well as WPA (Wi-Fi Protected

Access) providing you a much higher level of security for your data and

communication than has previously been available.



Provides maximum wireless signal rate of up to 54Mbps

(108Mbps

1

in Turbo mode).



Optimal wireless reception using its cradle (included). Position the

DWL-G132 almost anywhere in your workspace to achieve the best

reception possible.



7

Wireless Basics

Wireless users can use the same applications they use on a wired network.

Wireless adapter cards used on laptop and desktop systems support the same

protocols as Ethernet adapter cards.

D-Link wireless products are based on industry standards to provide

easy-to-use and compatible high-speed wireless connectivity within your home,

business or public access wireless networks. D-Link wireless products will

allow you access to the data you want, when and where you want it. You will be

able to enjoy the freedom that wireless networking brings.

A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a computer network that transmits

and receives data with radio signals instead of wires. WLANs are used

increasingly in both home and office environments, and public areas such as

airports, coffee shops and universities. Innovative ways to utilize WLAN

technology are helping people to work and communicate more efficiently.

Increased mobility and the absence of cabling and other fixed infrastructure

have proven to be beneficial to many users.

People use WLAN technology for many different purposes:

Mobility - Productivity increases when people have access to data in any

location within the operating range of the WLAN. Management decisions based

on real-time information can significantly improve worker efficiency.

Low Implementation Costs - WLANs are easy to set up, manage, change

and relocate. Networks that frequently change can benefit from WLANs ease

of implementation. WLANs can operate in locations where installation of wiring

may be impractical.

Installation and Network Expansion - Installing a WLAN system can be fast

and easy and can eliminate the need to pull cable through walls and ceilings.

Wireless technology allows the network to go where wires cannot go - even

outside the home or office.

Inexpensive Solution - Wireless network devices are as competitively priced

as conventional Ethernet network devices.

Scalability - WLANs can be configured in a variety of ways to meet the needs

of specific applications and installations. Configurations are easily changed

and range from Peer-to-Peer networks suitable for a small number of users to

larger Infrastructure networks to accommodate hundreds or thousands of

users, depending on the number of wireless devices deployed.

8

Installation Considerations

The DWL-G132 lets you access your network using a wireless connection

from virtually anywhere within its operating range. Keep in mind, however, that

the number, thickness and location of walls, ceilings, or other objects that the

wireless signals must pass through, may limit the range. Typical ranges vary

depending on the types of materials and background RF (radio frequency) noise

in your home or business. The key to maximizing wireless range is to follow

these basic guidelines:

Keep your product away (at least 3-6 feet or 1-2 meters) from electrical

devices or appliances that generate RF noise.

4

Keep the number of walls and ceilings between the DWL-G132 and

other network devices to a minimum - each wall or ceiling can reduce

your DWL-G132’s range from 3-90 feet (1-30 meters.) Position your

devices so that the number of walls or ceilings is minimized.

1

Be aware of the direct line between network devices. A wall that is 1.5

feet thick (.5 meters), at a 45-degree angle appears to be almost 3 feet

(1 meter) thick. At a 2-degree angle it looks over 42 feet (14 meters)

thick! Position devices so that the signal will travel straight through a

wall or ceiling (instead of at an angle) for better reception.

2

Building materials can impede the wireless signal - a solid metal door

or aluminum studs may have a negative effect on range. Try to position

wireless devices and computers with wireless adapters so that the

signal passes through drywall or open doorways and not other materials.

3

Wireless Basics (continued)

9

A wireless router - D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G

TM

DI-624

A laptop computer with a D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G

TM

DWL-G132

A desktop computer with a D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G

TM

DWL-G132

A cable modem - D-Link DCM-201

With its default settings, the DWL-G132 will connect with other

D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G

TM

products, right out of the box.

Getting Started

There are basically two modes of networking:

Infrastructure – using an access point or router, such as the DI-624.

Ad-Hoc – directly connecting to another computer, for Peer-to-Peer

communication, using wireless network adapters on each computer,

such as two or more DWL-G132 Wireless Network USB adapters.

On the following pages we will show you an example of an Infrastructure

Network and an Ad-Hoc Network.

An Infrastructure network contains an access point or router. The

Infrastructure network example shown on the following page contains the

following D-Link network devices (your existing network may be comprised of

other devices):

10

You will need broadband Internet access (a cable or DSL-subscriber

line into your home or office).

Consult with your cable or DSL provider for proper installation of the

modem.

Connect the cable or DSL modem to your broadband router.

(See the Quick Installation Guide included with your router.)

Install the D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G DWL-G132 Wireless USB 2.0

adapter into an available USB port on your desktop computer.

(See the Quick Installation Guide included with the DWL-G132.)

Getting Started (continued)

For a typical wireless setup at home (as shown above), please do the following:

55

5

Setting up a Wireless Infrastructure Network

11

1

22

2

33

3

Install the D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G DWL-G132 wireless USB 2.0

adapter into an available USB port on your laptop computer.

(See the Quick Installation Guide included with the DWL-G132.)

44

4

TM

DWL-G132

TM

11

Getting Started (continued)

Setting up a Wireless Ad-Hoc Network

When assigning IP addresses to the computers on the network, please

remember that the IP address for each computer must be in the same

IP address range as all the computers in the network, and the subnet

mask must be exactly the same for all the computers in the network.

For example: If the first computer is assigned an IP address of 192.168.0.2

with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, then the second computer can be

assigned an IP address of 192.168.0.3 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0,

etc.

IMPORTANT: If computers or other devices are assigned the same IP

address, one or more of the devices may not be visible on the network.

IP Address

Install the D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G

TM

DWL-G132 Wireless USB 2.0

adapter into the desktop computer. (See the Quick Installation Guide

included with the product.)

Set the wireless configuration for the adapters to Ad-Hoc mode, set

the adapters to the same channel, and assign an IP address to each

computer on the Ad-Hoc network.

Install the D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G

TM

DWL-G132 Wireless USB 2.0

adapter into the laptop computer. (See the Quick Installation Guide

included with the product.)

DWL-G132

Wireless G USB 2.0 Adapter

12

Select the Wireless Networks tab.

Uncheck the box in the properties window

that enables windows configuration.

D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G

TM

DWL-G132 uses the Configuration Utility as

the management software. The utility provides the user an easy interface to

change any settings related to the wireless adapter. After you have completed

the installation of the DWL-G132 (refer to the Quick Installation Guide that

came with your purchase) whenever you start the computer, the Configuration

Utility starts automatically and the system tray icon is loaded in the toolbar

(see illustration below.*) Clicking on the utility icon will start the Configuration

Utility. Another way to start the Configuration Utility is to click on

Start>Programs>D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G >D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G Utility.

Using the Configuration Utility

If you are using Windows XP, you can use either the Zero Configuration Utility

or the D-Link Configuration Utility.

If the icon does not display in the taskbar, then click on

this icon on your desktop to open.

To use the D-Link Configuration Utility with XP, right-click

on the wireless network icon in the taskbar in the lower

right-hand corner of your computer screen.

In the window that appears, select

View Available Wireless Networks

and click the Advanced button. The

screen at right will appear.

After you have done this, you can then use the D-Link

Configuration Utility with XP by clicking on the D-Link

Configuration Utility icon.

*Configuration Utility icon

in the system tray

13

Using the Configuration Utility (continued)

Link Info

SSID:

The Service Set Identifier is the name assigned to the wireless network. The

factory SSID setting is default.

Status:

Displays the MAC address of the access point or router to which the

DWL-G132 is associated.

Frequency:

802.11b indicates that the DWL-G132 is communicating in the 2.4GHz band.

Wireless Mode:

Either Infrastructure or Ad-Hoc will be displayed here. (Please see the Getting

Started section in this manual for an explanation of these two modes.)

14

Using the Configuration Utility (continued)

Tx Rate:

The default setting is Auto; Tx Rate settings are automatically determined for

a maximum wireless signal rate of up to 54Mbps (108Mbps* in Turbo mode).

Channel:

The default setting is Auto. The channel selection is automatically determined

by the DWL-G132.

Signal Quality:

Displays the signal strength and the link quality of the DWL-G132’s wireless

connection to the access point or router.

Packet Count:

Displays the statistics of the data packets that are transmitted and received.

Encryption:

You can see if WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is Enabled or Disabled here.

Rescan Button:

Rescans for the strongest signal with the current SSID and associates with

that access point or router.

Connection Info:

When the DWL-G132 is connected to a wireless network, Connected will be

displayed in this field.

*Maximum wireless signal rate derived from 802.11g specifications. Actual data throughput

will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors lower actual data throughput rate.

15

Configuration

Using the Configuration Utility (continued)

Wireless Mode:

SSID:

Data Encryption:

Service Set Identifier is a name that identifies a wireless network. Access points

and wireless devices attempting to connect to a specific WLAN (Wireless Local

Area Network) must use the same SSID. The default setting is default.

Click on the pull-down menu; select from the following options:

Infrastructure - connecting to the WLAN using an access point. (This is

the default setting).

Ad-Hoc – wireless mode used when connecting directly to a computer

equipped with a wireless adapter in a Peer-to-Peer environment.

Select Enabled or Disabled.

16

Using the Configuration Utility (continued)

Authentication:

Keys 1-4:

When you select WEP encryption, you will enter up to four WEP keys in the

fields provided, using either Hexadecimal or ASCII format. From the keys you

have entered, select the default key by clicking on the button next to it.

Choose one of the following modes:

Open Authentication – the DWL-G132

is visible to all devices on the network.

Shared Authentication – allows

communication only with other devices

with identical WEP settings.

WPA – Wi-Fi protected access improves

upon WEP security. In conjunction with

a RADIUS server and EAP (extensible

authentication protocol), WPA ensures

that only authenticated users access the

network.

Click Apply to save changes.

Authentication Config:

When you enable IEEE 802.1X click on Authentication Config.

The Advanced Security Settings screen will appear. See the following pages

for more information.

IP Settings

Hexadecimal digits consist of the numbers 0-9 and the letters A-F.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a code for

representing English letters as numbers from 0-127.

IEEE 802.1X:

Select Enabled or Disabled. 802.1x requires that a RADIUS server be included

in your network in order to authenticate users.

Key Length:

Select the key length and either ASCII (e.g., a word) or hexadecimal format.

WPA-PSK – provides user authentication without a RADIUS server in

the network. PSK (Pre-Shared Key) provides authentication through use

of a passphrase that is shared by the devices on the network. This is the

most secure encryption available without a RADIUS server.

IP Settings:

When you click IP Settings in the Configuration window, the pop-up screen

above will appear. Configure the IP Settings in this window.

17

Using the Configuration Utility (continued)

IP Settings

Proxy Settings

Check Apply with a profile proxy to

use a proxy server in your network. A

proxy server increases the speed of

web page retrieval and can also act

as a filter to limit access to specific

Web sites.

Using a Proxy Server

When this option is selected, the proxy

server will automatically adjust to the

settings of the network.

Automatically detect settings:

Select this option and input the IP

address of the proxy server to ensure

that the proxy server will be utilized.

Use automatic configuration:

To use a proxy server, select this

option.

Use a proxy server:

Select this to allow direct access to

local internal addresses without

including the extra step of routing the

request through the proxy server.

Bypass proxy server for local

address:

18

Using the Configuration Utility (continued)

Proxy Settings (continued)

To use the same proxy server for all

protocols, select this option and enter

the IP address for the proxy server in

the HTTP field. Other fields will be

unavailable. Enter the port number for

the proxy server.

Use the same proxy server for

all protocols:

HTTP, Secure, FTP, Gopher,

Socks:

if you are

not using the same proxy

server for all protocols, enter the proxy

server address, either in IP address

or domain name format and its

corresponding port, for each of these

protocols.

HTTP: Hyper Text Transfer Protocol

is used to transfer files from a Web server onto a browser for viewing.

FTP: File Transfer Protocol. FTP is most commonly used to upload and

download files on the Internet.

Gopher: Gopher is an early Internet protocol that organizes files in a

structured list for database searching.

Secure: HTTPS protocol is based on SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology.

It is a protocol for transmitting private documents over the Internet using a

private key to encrypt data. URLs that begin with HTTPS often use the protocol

to securely obtain confidential information such as credit card numbers.

Socks: Socks is a proxy server that provides a simple firewall. SocksV5 offers

authentication.

Exceptions: To allow specific IP addresses to bypass proxy servers, enter the

IP addresses here. You can also enter “wildcards” to allow a category of website

to bypass the proxy servers. For instance, if you enter www.*.com, the browser

will bypass the proxy servers for most Websites.

19

Using the Configuration Utility (continued)

Advanced

Frequency:

Select 802.11b/g for

compatibility with both

802.11b or 802.11g

networks, or select 802.11b

only.

Super G:

Selecting Super G mode

enables a maximum

wireless signal rate of up to

108Mbps.*

*Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE Standard 802.11g specifications. Actual data

throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors lower actual data throughput rate.

Launch Utility on Startup:

Power Mode:

Disable -This default setting consumes the most power.

Enable - This setting consumes the least power.

Starting Ad Hoc Network:

When using Ad Hoc mode,

Ad Hoc Channel:

Select the Ad Hoc channel when in Ad Hoc mode. When communicating in

Ad Hoc mode, all devices must share the same channel.

Profile IP Settings:

Select Enable or Disable.

Click Apply if you have made any changes.

select the frequency here.

You can Enable or Disable the IP Settings portion of your profile here. If you

select Disable you will need to configure the IP address information each time

you connect to a network. If you select Enable you will maintain the same IP

address information each time you connect to a network.

20

Using the Configuration Utility (continued)

Fragmentation Threshold:

This value should remain at its default setting of 2432. If you experience a high

packet error rate, you may slightly increase your Fragmentation Threshold within

the value range of 256 to 2432. Setting the Fragmentation Threshold too low

may result in poor performance.

This value should remain at its default setting of 2432. If inconsistent data flow

is a problem, only a minor modification should be made.

RTS Threshold:

Advanced (continued)

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